I have visited lodges in 14 states, WashDC, and in several foreign lands. The signs for the Craft degrees, are identical in all well-governed and regular USA lodges.

The ritual varies slightly from state to state.

Before Kentucky was a state, it was a county of Virginia, and all KY lodges used the Virginia Grand Lodge ritual. When KY became a state in 1792, KY broke off, and got their own GL. The VA ritual and the KY ritual vary slightly. When the state of Alabama was a territory, KY issued a warrant for Huntsville (ALA) lodge to operate. When Ala got statehood, Huntsville lodge became Huntsville lodge #1 in the Grand Lodge of Ala. Today the Ala ritual differs slightly from the KY ritual.

I have seen a small difference with the first degree sign only. And from my understanding the sign of distress is different depending on what jurisdiction also. Something I have always wanted to know is, is Prince Hall and and other regular masons signs the same ? I guess I would have to ask a mason that has sat in both lodges.

I really wonder if they are clandestine....were the Freemasons on the side of the south in the civil war incarcerated by the north not freemasons anymore? Where the prisoners in the american revolution prision ship at New York not freemasons because they were there?....hmmm

I really wonder if they are clandestine....were the Freemasons on the side of the south in the civil war incarcerated by the north not freemasons anymore? Where the prisoners in the american revolution prision ship at New York not freemasons because they were there?....hmmm

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I would feel more sympathy for a brother that was already a regular freemason before he went to prison than a guy that was made a mason in Prison. Just my two cents.

In Australia, lodges that originally had Scottish charters and maintain a Scottish ritual tend to vary quite a lot in their signs, and ritual. One small lodge I was away from for 20 years, made a noticeable change in the 2nd degree sign and did not recall that they had ever done it differently.

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